The guest speaker for the evening was the Rev. Barry Lynn, one of the few ministers that I actually respect, because he works tirelessly to keep religion OUT of government. He believes, like I do, that the church will function best when there is no involvement with the government. If government favors one religion over another, then those other believers are going to feel slighted. Best that ALL churchgoers feel slighted.
I got to meet Barry and have a few words with him. He's a super nice guy, which you can tell if you have ever seen him on TV. Speaking of TV, he referenced this exchange with Louis Gohmert (R-TX) during his talk. How embarrassing.
If the local Houston chapter is any indication, AU needs help. The talk was held at Grappino's, an Italian restaurant favorite, and the room held about 75 people. The average age in the room was probably 70. I think my wife and I were easily the youngest people in the room. We sat with 6 other people, and one of the couples described themselves as "evangelical atheists." I like that. I might have to steal it.
I will relate only one part of Barry's very entertaining talk. You will probably remember the recent brouhaha about Indiana passing a "Religious Freedom Act" and how one particular pizza parlor proclaimed that they would henceforth NOT EVER cater a gay wedding. They said they would serve gays in their restaurant but would NEVER "participate" in a gay wedding.
Two things: one, the caterer does not really "participate" in the wedding, and two, when Barry was talking over this sitch with some of the gay members of the DC office, in unison, they all proclaimed, "NO GAYS WOULD EVER HAVE PIZZA AT THEIR WEDDING!!" Shows how poorly the bigots understand gays.
Do you want to keep religion out of the public square? Support AU.
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